This invention relates generally to the displaying and scanning of graphical codes on objects to provide Internet access. More particularly, the present invention is a system where a graphical code is displayed on or in some communications media (such as a magazine or television) for scanning by a user to obtain present or future Internet access to the Internet address represented by the graphical code.
Supermarkets and department stores have been using bar code scanning systems for years for identification and inventory purposes. Almost every product in a store has it""s own unique bar code on the product""s packaging. The use of bar codes is no longer limited to just providing the price of an item. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,612,527 to Ovadia, relates to a coupon redemption system, where a bar code contains not only information about the amount of the discount and the expiration date of the coupon, but also the address of the consumer who received the coupon in the mail. By including the address of the coupon user, the purchasing habits of the shopper can be tracked.
The use of bar codes has expanded into other markets as well. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,291 to Barrus et al, discloses bar codes for placing purchase orders from remote locations, where a purchase order is created by scanning bar codes and transmitting the purchase order to a remote location using a modem or a touch tone phone. SImilarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,047,614 to Bianco, relates to computer aided shopping. Here, a user creates a purchase order by scanning bar codes from items such as containers, coupons, advertisements or pamphlets which are furnished by a store. The purchase order can then be transmitted to the store or warehouse.
Non-consumer uses have also been developed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,604,640 to Zipf et al., relates to a business card scanner, wherein relevant information such as telephone numbers, fax numbers and addresses are stored on a business card using bar codes. The stored information can then be scanned to provide data information to the user or to produce a database.
The demand to store more data has also increased. In order to encode more information, bar codes have expanded in both the x and in the y directions, thereby increasing the size of the bar codes. However, by increasing the size of the bar code on an object or media, there is less room on the object or media for other pertinent information.
Other means to increase the amount of encoded data have also been exploited. One alternate form for encoding data is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,052 to Smith, III et al., which discloses a system capable of reading, storing and using data from a business card or other printed material having high density bar-encoded data. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,105 to Desai discloses an electronic business card system to either read or store data on an electronic strip located on an electronic business card. The electronic business card system can also include a telephone interface wherein the system can call preselected numbers. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,153,418 to Batterman et al., claims multiple resolution machine readable symbols, where high and low resolution data is encoded in a graphical code. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,701 to Batterman et al. claims a system process and apparatus using multiple resolution machine readable symbols. This system encodes high and low resolution data in a graphical code.
With Internet addresses a key means of marketing and communications, as well as longer Internet addresses and the number of data encoded applications rising, the need for the ability of graphical codes to depict or represent more information also increases. Thus there is not only a demand for the increased ability of graphical codes to depict or represent more information but there is also a demand for an encoding system where the Internet address and other additional information can be encoded in a small, durable and flexible graphical code without occupying a significant area of the media on which it is printed or displayed.
A need therefore exists for graphical codes that can be printed on an object and eventually scanned to provide the Internet address represented by the graphical code.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide Internet access to an Internet address represented by a graphical code by scanning that graphical code.
A further object of the present invention is to store the Internet address represented by the graphical code after scanning the graphical code.
A further object of the present invention is to directly input the Internet address represented by the graphical code into a query of a Web browser.
A further object of the present invention is to scan the graphical code from a physical three dimensional object as a means to access the Internet address represented by the graphical code.
A further object of the present invention is to scan the graphical code from printed media as a means to access the Internet address represented by the graphical code.
A further object of the present invention is to scan the graphical code from a credit card as a means to access the Internet address represented by the graphical code.
A further object of the present invention is to scan the graphical code from a video monitor as a means to access the Internet address represented by the graphical code.
A further object of the present invention is to generate statistics from users who access the Internet address from scanning the graphical code.
A further object of the present invention is to generate marketing statistics from users who access the Internet from scanning the graphical code.
A further object of the present invention is to limit the size of the graphical code to the size of a line of text.
The present invention is a system that allows a user to obtain Internet addresses and to access those addresses by scanning a graphical code on an object or displayed on a monitor. The present invention uses a scanner connected to a computer to scan a graphical code to obtain the Internet address represented by the graphical code. Once the information is captured by the scanner three options are provided: i) automatic access to the Internet address represented by the graphical code, ii) automatic storage of the Internet address represented by the graphical code in the memory of a computer or scanner for later access or iii) automatic input of the Internet address represented by the graphical code into a query of a Web browser to be accessed via user control.
The process for all three options is similar: a person elects an option, then scans the graphical code with a scanner, the scanner reads the graphical code and generates data from the graphical code, the data is then transmitted to a computer where depending on the option selected, the computer automatically executes the elected option. The computer will automatically access to the Internet address represented by the graphical code, store the Internet address or input the Internet address into a query of a Web browser.